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Greek mythology
Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. These accounts were initially fashioned and disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition; our surviving sources of Greek mythology are literary reworkings of this oral tradition. Greek mythology was also reflected in artifacts, some of them works of art, notably the repertory of vase-painters. The Greeks themselves referred to the myths and associated artworks to throw light on cult practices and ritual traditions that were already ancient and, at times, poorly understood. Some of the main sources of information on Greek mythology are the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Argonautica, the Theogony, the Aeneid, and the Metamorphoses. GGWP EXPO75 Family Tree Cosmology Main article: Greek cosmology Greek cosmology is wide and depicts the universe and the world as having a limit both on it's sky and ground, the sky limit is known as Heaven of Heavens and it's opposite end, which lies beneath all the world, is the Underworld. The Heaven and any other realm above it, are sustained by the Pillars of Heaven while the Underworld and the rest of the world is hold together by the Pillars of Earth. Locations in Greek cosmology *Earth *Firmament with the Stars *Ocean of Heaven *Heaven of Heavens *Pillars of Heaven *Underworld *Pillars of Earth *Primeval Ocean Chronology Origin and creation of the Universe ''Main article: Protogenoi, Titans'' Accoring to Hesiod, in his Theogony, at the beginning there was chaos, a yawning nothingness. From the void in there emerged Gaia (goddess of the Earth and the Earth itself). From the void, other primary divine beings emerged: Eros (Love), the Abyss (Tartarus) and the Erebus.Hesiod, Theogony, 116–138 Gaia didn't have male assistance, therefore she gave existence to Uranus (the sky) who then impregnated her. The first wave of Titans were born as product of this union. Gaia gave birth to six males: Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Hyperion, Lapetus, and Oceanus; and six females: Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis, and Tethys. After Cronus was born, Gaia and Cronus declared that no more Titans were to born. Overthrowing of Uranus After Cronus was born, Gaia and Uranus decreed no more Titans were to be born. They were followed by the one-eyed Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires, who were both thrown into Tartarus by Uranus. This made Gaia furious. Cronus ("the wily, youngest and most terrible of Gaia's children"), was convinced by Gaia to castrate his father. He did this, killing Uranus, and became the ruler of the Titans with his sister-wife Rhea as his consort. The other titans became his court. Titanomachy Main article: Titanomachy The Titan Cronus devoured all the sons and daughters he procreated with Rhea, again and again. But when Rhea gave birth to Zeus, she could not see another of her sons devoured by Cronus, therefore she hidden Zeus from Cronus. Zeus was raised in Crete, and when he was old and experienced enough, along with the aid of the Cyclopes, he defeated his father and the titans. Cronus and the rest of Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus.Hesiod, Theogony, 713–735 After the battle with the titans and his subsequent victory, he shared the world with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Age of Gods The Age gods is the term which defines the period in which Gods interacted with men, but could not intervene in any of the confrontations or events of humanity. Age of Heroes Main article: Age of heroes The age of heroes also known as heroic age, is the period between the coming of the Greeks to Thessaly and their subsequent return from Troy. The age of heroes saw a series of events which would demonstrate the humans did not need to depend on the gods or live their lives as gods demanded, such as Heracles' (Hercules) battle against the supposedly invincible Hydra. The age of heroes centers on the battles and confrontations of superhuman characters known as demigods, such as Hercules, Perseus and Theseus. Heracles and the Heracleidae Jason and the Argonauts Been earlier than the Odyssey, Jason and his crew, the Argonauts exploits date back to 3rd Century BC, which was the period in which the poem depicting their adventures was wrote. Jason's voyages are famous in Greek mythology because of the fact, that his crew on the Argo, included various members of the next ge neration of heroes, including Heracles. The Trojan War In the aftermath of the Trojan War, Odysseus and various surviving soldiers navigated in search of their home, instead they ended on the island of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Videos Olympian Gods (Male) of Ancient Greek Mythology|Olympian gods of Greek mythology The History Channel Gods and Goddesses|The History Channel - Gods and Goddesses External Links * Greek mythology at Wikipedia. * Cosmogony of Alcman * Thetis Creatrix * The Protogenoi: the first-born Gods References Category:Greek mythology Category:Mythology by Culture